Question about Replacement Battery

[richsams1]

The only electricity our battery provides us juice for is our running and cabin lights. Obviously we don't need a lot of power. We're currently using an old car battery that provides us just enough power for our running lights to be seen while heading back to the docks after sunset. We recharge it with a solar panel all week but it no longer holds a full charge.

Any recommendations for a replacement? Again... we only use it for our running lights. I was considering finding the cheapest Series 24 I could find and throwing it down there inside a protective marine case. Thanks in advance for any suggestions...

[March]

What's the wattage of your panel? I take it you don't use an engine to recharge the battery?
If your lights are incandescent rather than LED, you can easily run your battery dry, even though it doesn't seem like much

[RobertB]

Size 24 marine battery is pretty standard.

If you have a good marine charger and a controller for you solar, definitely go with an AGM type marine deep cycle battery. If not, stay with a lead acid deep cycle marine battery since these take abuse a bit better. Marine so it has the proper terminals, deep cycle so it can take the discharge cycles. The only auto battery I would consider is an Optima spiral AGM (red top). I had one in a van with electrical problems where it discharged completely multiple times and it always took a charge. Best battery I would choose, but more $$, is an Optima marine battery.

[Russ]

Sound like your power needs are few.

Wal-Mart sells cheap good marine/RV batteries.

Make sure your solar is working for you. How big? Is it regulated?
Should work if these are sufficient.

[Sumner]

A group 27 might fit the space and probably cost the same but has a little more capacity than a 24 (96 ah vs. 84 ah for an Interstate). We use two Interstate SRM-27 Deep Cycle Marine & RV Batteries since that is what we can get locally. If we were near a Walmart I'd probably use theirs. When our 12 volt batteries give up we will switch to two 6 volt true deep cycle batteries. If you don't see your needs growing then a single deep cycle marine/rv is a good choice.

Tell us more about the solar you have,

Sum

===================================
Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

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[Catigale]

Group 24 is too big for this app.

Go for a small motorcycle battery you can take off the boat and charge at home. Two running lights plus cabin lights is 4 amp load

4 amp load for 5 hours per week return to shore means a 40 amp hour battery would do the job nicely. You could bring it ome and top off on an auto charger each Monday

[Seapup]

Group 24 is too big for this app.

Go for a small motorcycle battery you can take off the boat and charge at home. Two running lights plus cabin lights is 4 amp load

4 amp load for 5 hours per week return to shore means a 40 amp hour battery would do the job nicely. You could bring it ome and top off on an auto charger each Monday

If you decide to go this route check out wheel chair batteries. Most motorcycle batteries are only around 10ah and made for starting. Wheelchair batteries are true deep cycle sealed agm and made to run dead and take a charge over and over again.

[Russ]

Group 24 is too big for this app.

Go for a small motorcycle battery you can take off the boat and charge at home. Two running lights plus cabin lights is 4 amp load

4 amp load for 5 hours per week return to shore means a 40 amp hour battery would do the job nicely. You could bring it ome and top off on an auto charger each Monday

Clever and would probably work. If he changed out the bulbs to LEDs it would work even better. Better still with the wheel chair batts described above.

The hassle of unplugging and lugging the thing home would tire on me, even though not that heavy. If he's got a solar solution in place, it ought to work. That is unless it's not working properly or sufficient.

Yea, with the price of LEDs, incandescents have no place on a boat anymore.

[Catigale]

Clever and would probably work

...hey, thats straight off my resume...

[richsams1]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I was considering just heading to WalMart to see what they had in terms of Marine batteries available.

We currently use a Sunforce 5 watt solar panel with a 7 amp charge regulator plugged into the battery all week before heading out on Sundays:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006J ... 06_s00_i00

In terms of replacing the incandescent bulbs with LED's... any suggestions on what LED's to buy? We currently use the following running light on the bow, along with a similar white stern and mast light:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B0 ... 00_s01_i00

Thanks again for all the help. You're the best!

[FinallySailing]

We currently use a Sunforce 5 watt solar panel with a 7 amp charge regulator ...

Do you need a charge controller for a low wattage solar panel/solar trickle charger ? When I bought my 10 watt panel the manufacturer stated it wasn't necessary.

[richsams1]

We currently use a Sunforce 5 watt solar panel with a 7 amp charge regulator ...

Do you need a charge controller for a low wattage solar panel/solar trickle charger ? When I bought my 10 watt panel the manufacturer stated it wasn't necessary.

I only use the charge controller for the convenience of the battery indicator on it and to see that the solar panel is actually working. It glows green when the battery is fully charged. Something that has not happened for quite some time with my current battery.

[Russ]

5 Watts isn't much, but for what you are taking out of the batts, it's probably enough. I'm still a proponent of controllers, even with small panels like yours. Don't get rid of it. Of course 5 watts is optimal, mid day, sunlight perpendicular (aim the thing South when you leave). It's probably the minimum sized panel for what you are doing.

That running light fixture is the same as our boat. Uses festoon bulbs.
This is what I replaced mine with. Works great, sips electricy.
http://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesalers-Na ... ed+festoon

Change your cabin lights with something like this and you'll have plenty of power
http://www.amazon.com/24-smd-White-Ligh ... +bulbs+12v

Wal-Mart batteries have actually gotten good ratings and are cheap. You don't need a big one, just a deep cycle. I bought mine there and have worked well.

You can see the LED "shadow" is much brighter than the original bulb and used 5% of the power.



--Russ

[richsams1]

Great post... thanks Russ! I think that's about all I need to know!

[Divecoz]

And Thats a FACT Jack

Yea, with the price of LEDs, incandescents have no place on a boat anymore.